University of Michigan administrators have fired a top diversity, equity and inclusion officer for actions that represented “extremely poor” judgment, a UM representative confirmed.
Rachel Dawson, the former director of the university’s Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, was reported to have made antisemitic comments in a conversation at a conference in March, according to the New York Times. Dawson allegedly said the university was “controlled by wealthy Jews,” according to documents obtained by the newspaper through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Dawson was also accused of saying Jewish students were “wealthy and privileged” and not in need of her office’s diversity services and that “Jewish people have no genetic DNA that would connect them to the land of Israel,” according to the documents, which were part of a complaint from the Anti-Defamation League of Michigan.
“Ms. Dawson was fired by the Provost because her behavior as a university representative at a conference and during an on-campus protest was inconsistent with her job responsibilities, including leading a multicultural office charged with supporting all students, and represented extremely poor judgment,” wrote Kay Jarvis, UM’s director of public affairs, in an email.
Dawson’s lawyer Amanda Ghannam said she did not make antisemitic comments and planned to sue the school, according to the Times.
Ghannam did not respond to requests for comment from The Detroit News. Jarvis also did not respond to a request for further comment.
Dawson was “actively involved in the U-M community as a leader, collaborator and DEI champion, for example, holding positions on the executive team of the Women of Color Task Force and having co-chaired the U-M Juneteenth Planning Committee,” according to her biography, which was removed from the university’s website.
“She has also contributed her expertise to various college/unit and university-level committees, including the Michigan Medicine Anti-Racism Oversight Committee, the U-M MLK Planning Committee, the Advancing Public Safety at the University of Michigan Task Force, and the U-M Police Department Oversight Committee.”
Dawson’s firing comes just over a week after school officials announced UM would no longer use diversity statements in faculty hiring, promotion or tenure. Provost Laurie McCauley announced the decision based on a recommendation from a UM faculty working group.
More:UM regents’ review of DEI efforts prompts petition, protest of feared cuts
UM regents are also considering changes to the university’s DEI initiatives, but they emphasized they would not cut programs benefiting students, such as free tuition and college preparation programs. Any budget decisions, which might include transferring DEI staff to other university initiatives, wouldn’t be finalized until the spring when the budget gets approved, Regent Sarah Hubbard previously told The News.
The regents’ decision makes obsolete former diversity statements that required of faculty job candidates to explain what experiences they would bring to the university along with how their scholarship and teaching would advance diversity, for example.
mjohnson@detroitnews.com